Bruiser Chong

At least you dont have Carla Pavano and her being out on the dl with and injured ass. Also be thankful for not having Jaret Wright on your pitching staff as well. Thankfully this bum can be bought out after this year for spending too much time on the dl. Those are two contracts that had little upside to them. Few figured either guy would live up to their 2004 season, which made the contract figures that much more ridiculous. Loiaza may not be panning out, but considering what Beane dropped on him, it's not the end of the world.

They know fans will show up regardless. They've sunk more cash into the team than in recent years, which is an improvement. But when you consider that they're also finding more ways to increase profits annually, there's no reason not to put more into the team. As it is, they've also spent money on some questionable entities (i.e. Rusch and Perez, two replacement level players). It's not just about spending money, but spending it wisely.

You want the Cubs to lose 3 of 4 to Cincy? No, but they still play with a level of energy that's refreshing to see. Few guys on the team go through the motions. Their pitching and defense leaves a lot to be desired, but their offense is still a fun one to watch. I'll reiterate how good the Reds could be if that had any pitching.

Watching the Brewers makes me wish the Cubs could play with this type of enthusiasm and/or alertness.

He entertains me just because he's not afraid to criticize the team when it's called for. That and I always stayed tuned in just case he says, "IIIII'm Keith Hernandez."

Something I haven't seen mentioned is Fransico Cordero's ineffectiveness so far. He wasn't up to his 2004 standards last year, but he's been awful in 2006. He just blew a three-run lead against the D-Rays and is sporting an ugly 11.25 ERA.

I can't figure out whether the Twins are annoying to watch because I know but a handful of their players or if they just seem so bland and mediocre against good teams.

So we only have to sit through this sort of crap what, eight or nine more times?

I somehow managed to see every part of that inning except for the homers. Watch out for Cincy if they ever get any hint of pitching.

I'm sure she knows what's going on. Someone remind me why having four best-of-seven rounds is a smart idea again? NBA playoffs are so bloated. I prefer the succinct nature of the baseball postseason. Four rounds made a little more sense when the first was a best-of-five series, but with the change, there's rarely an upset. It just drags the obvious out longer.

I guess even Brenly called into the question the logic behind taking out Walker and Murton before the SIXTH inning was even finished. I'd love to hear his explanation for taking the bat out of the hands of who's been their best hitter.

Thank god I turned the TV off. I'm pretty sure something would be broke if I had actually seen this happen. Leave it to the Cubs to buy into this empty hype about speed being what helps win games. The hell with hitting. That move leaves a lineup with: - Pierre - Cedeno - Ramirez - Mabry - Bynum - Perez - Jones - Blanco - Pitcher I'm sure Aramis wants to break his wrist right now.

Well, here are the numbers for last year... http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:paIg5t...us&ct=clnk&cd=2 First and second with no outs is a decidedly better position to be in. Unfortunately there's this heavy misconception, thanks to recent WS winners, that whenever you have the chance to give away one of your 27 outs in the name of advancing a runner to the next base, you absolutely should. Stats don't prove anything. It's all about those intangibles and gut feelings, baby!

And naturally, Dusty goes for the double switch that puts Neifi in and takes Walker out, instead of moving him over to first. Brilliant.

How in the world do you walk Hector Luna to load the bases for Albert Pujols? I can see why Hendry had to re-sign Rusch to a multi-year deal.

The sac bunt is so pointless. With the first two runners on in the Cubs' third, they have Cedeno bunt them over. This just opens up first and allows them to walk Todd Walker to set up the doubleplay for Aramis. He got a run in with a groundout, but in the end, that's all they got. But then, that's the risk you take when you willingly give away precious outs.

God damn, John Lackey with SEVEN walks? Naturally, I started him, while benching Ben Sheets tonight. Stellar.

That 8th inning in the Braves/Nats game had to be one of the most poorly-managed innings I've seen in years. It was like a game of chess between Bobby and Frank to see who could make the dumber moves.

What in the world are you talking about? That third strike Hideki watched go by to end the game? Or something else.

My god, Jerome Williams is one of the most frustrating starters the Cubs have most of the time. Walks hitting machines Aaron Miles and Mark Mulder to walk in a run. Yeesh. This game has all the makings of a blowout and I'm having flashbacks to last July when they were without Lee for a week.

What, you don't think he shouldn't be batting behind the likes of Alex Gonzalez and David Bell against the mighty Scott Olsen? I wonder why so many managers automatically assume that crappy utility players are a perfect fit for the two-spot in the batting order.

Are you implying that Captain Clutch, the greatest fielding shortstop ever, messed up a fairly routine play?

I'm not even focusing so much on what they're losing offensively. They sport an awful defensive infield outside of Lee. I can't tell you how many errors I've seen him already prevent a couple weeks into the season. I can see their already shakey defense getting bumped down a few notches without Lee. It doesn't help they're without two of their best pitchers, either. If this team had the rotation they envisioned, they'd just need marginal offense. But with mediocre guys like Marshall, Rusch, and Williams in there, they need all the offense they can snag. I'm not throwing in the white flag yet, but we're about to find out what this team's all about.

At least Wirtz is old. Maybe he'll die before that happens. But yeah, the Cubs' schedule for the next couple of months doesn't look all that intimidating, although we should consider: 1) They seem to be at their most mediocre when facing other mediocre squads 2) I don't expect Lee back before the All-Star Break. It's a shame that every year, we Cubs fans must have that mentality, "Well, if they can just hold strong until ______ gets back, then we should be okay." The curse talk is still stupid, though. Wrists tend to get damaged when they come in contact with a fast-moving object (in this case, Drunkard Furcal).

With Lee going on the DL, I'd imagine Dusty's job shall be safe for another year and probably help grab him that extension.